Skydive
by CackleRubblePop
Summary: Being a face on the wall can sometimes get a little boring.
1. Prelude

Chapter 0ne Sincerities  
Adam stirred in his sheets as the sun's gentle rays spread across his figure, filling the room with light. The long white curtains rustled eagerly with the short cool breeze, causing the boy to shiver. He opened his deep blue eyes and smiled. Today was his birthday. Quickly, he jumped up and out of bed, entangling himself in his sheets for only a moment. His long blonde tail waved along behind him as he raced down the hall to his older sister's bedroom.  
  
Beatrix leaned over the rail of the docks and leaned down enough to sweep the water with her fingers. But the ripples that obscured her reflection weren't only from her hand. A small boat with a single passenger pulled into the docks. A tall young man stood at the front, overlooking the castle. He turned his head towards Beatrix, and smiled. His resemblance to her king was shocking. He had short, stark blonde hair and light skin to match. His small blue eyes sparkled as he looked the general over. The only thing missing, she noticed, was the tail. The pilot leaned her poll against the side of the boat, and handed the man his bag. He smiled, and stepped off onto the docks of Alexandria. Beatrix stood up as he approached her.  
  
"Good evening, Lady Beatrix. I'm Adam's new guardian, Charim." Princess Garnet Til Alexandros the 18th rolled over in her bed and groaned. The knocking had been going on for a few minutes, and she had become annoyed. Her little brother's voice could be heard from the other side, pleading her to get up. Groggily, she sat up in bed.  
  
"Yeah, come in." Before she had finished, the heavy wooden door flung open, and Adam bounced inside. He happily flung himself on top of her, wrapping his arms around her neck.  
  
"You're finally awake!" She smiled and pulled him off her neck. His bright blue eyes were alive with excitement, partly obscured by his long blonde hair. Adam then began clenching and unclenching his fists against the bottoms of his red pajamas.  
  
"Guess what, Dagger?" He asked. She sighed and shrugged, her oversized night shirt slipping off her shoulder. Adam's grin broadened, happy to be able to share the wonderful news with his sister. "It's my birthday." He said, this time in a whisper. He began to giggle uncontrollably, and jumped off the bed. With that, he ran out of the room and down the hall to his parent's room. Dagger, as everyone called her, smiled and clambered out of bed. How could she forget her brother's birthday? After all, he'd only been talking about it for the past month.  
  
The click of heels gave way to Miss Charlotte, Dagger's maid. She carefully set down a silver tray with Dagger's breakfast, and walked over to the bureau. The ten-year old gleefully picked up a buttered scone, and began to nibble at it. Miss Charlotte flung open the bureau doors, and picked out a light blue dress. Dagger rolled her eyes.  
  
"Seeing as it's your brother's birthday, I would like you to wear this dress." She smiled expectantly and held the dress up for the girl to see. Dagger swallowed and set her scone down. She pushed back her chair and walked to the end of her bed, where a pair of faded overalls had been folded over the frame. She snatched them up and began to undress. Miss Charlotte stamped her foot and put the dress back. She closed the doors, and briskly walked towards the doorway. She stopped just before leaving the room and turned to the young princess.  
  
"I hope you know, you're shaping up to be a pretty shabby princess." With that, she turned her heel, and angrily clicked down the hallway. Dagger stuck her tongue out at the retreating maid. She constantly asked her mother and father to get her a new one, but they never agreed. Hoping on one foot as she pulled on her overalls, Dagger looked around for something to wrap her brother's present in. She was looking for something blue, Adam's favorite color. She strapped the top of her overalls, and took one last look around the room. Nothing in her room was blue, she didn't like the color. The girl rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, sniffled, then left in search of something to fit her gift-wrapping desire.  
Author's Notes: Yay! First chapter! I got this idea when I was drawing on lined paper during science class so like.yay. Like Garnet and Zidane's kids? Aren't they cute? No? Well too bad. Adam gets cuter, don't worry. And Dagger? She uh.stays the same for the most part. This fic basically centers on the two of them growing up, with a slight problem along the way. Not to worry, I skip years. -_- 


	2. Findings of a Prince

Chapter 2  
Adam slowed to a stop in front of his mother's bedroom. He motioned behind him for his sister to be quiet as she ran down the hallway towards him.  
  
"Adam," she whispered upon reaching him, "What are we doing?" The young prince smiled and winked at her. He turned back to the door and clenched his sweating hands.  
  
"Adam, tell me!" Dagger softly stomped on the floor. But Adam only chuckled and grasped the slick brass door handle. He took a deep breath, twisted the knob and pulled. Nothing happened. Adam cocked his head to the side and stepped back.  
  
"Dagger, what happened?" He looked inquisitively up at her. She shrugged and approached the door. She told him to let her handle the door-opening parts, and grabbed the handle. Just as she twisted, the door was flung open. Dagger stumbled back in surprise, and fell over on her brother. Zidane smiled and stepped through the door.  
  
"What are you two doing?" He asked as Dagger rolled off the younger boy. Adam sat up and rubbed his head.  
  
"We were trying to surprise you and mommy." Dagger pulled herself to her feet and dusted off her overalls. There was a slight hole in the knee, and she picked at it absent-mindedly. Zidane gave a slight laugh and scooped his son up in his arms. The boy's tail swooshed back and forth happily as his father rustled his messy blonde hair.  
  
"Adam, looks like your sister gave you a little cut there." Adam looked down to where Zidane was pointing. His arm had a slight gash in it. Dagger rubbed her horn with the back of her hand.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that, daddy. Can we see mommy now?" Zidane's smile faded. He placed his young son back on the floor and knelt down.  
  
"Your mother's sick." His head lowered, shining his sparkling aqua eyes. "She's in bed now, but the doctor doesn't think you should see her yet." Adam sat down before his father and rested his head on the man's knee. He could feel him shiver through his thin pants, and looked up to his hidden face.  
  
"Is she gonna be okay?" His father hesitated, then nodded. His smile returned, but this time in a different way. It became sad and ragged, unfit for such a glorious king. Dagger stepped back when he began to tremble. She could see a slight sparkle between her father's hair. She had never seen Zidane cry before, and it scared her. The lie in his voice was obvious as he reassured his son of her recovery. It was obvious to Alexandria's princess-the Queen was going to die.  
  
Zidane looked up as a young knight ran to his side.  
  
"Pluto Knight Weimar reporting, sir! I bring important news from Miss Claudia!" Zidane leapt to his feet.  
  
"Tell me on the way. Children?" He turned to the puzzled royalty. "Go back to your rooms." With that, he and the knight ran full speed down the thin hallway. Dagger turned to her confused brother and folded her skinny arms across her chest.  
  
"You don't honestly believe that, do you?" Adam looked up at his sister. His tail flicked back and forth expectantly as she combed a hand through her mop of messy brown hair away from the dull white horn. "You know mom's going to die, and there's nothing we can do about it." 


	3. keep Your secret

Chapter 3  
  
  
  
  
  
Dagger yawned and kicked gently at her brother's foot. "I'm going back to bed. See ya when I see ya." She turned, and headed back down the hallway from which she came. Adam sank to his knees on the cold floor and stared at his little clenched hands. Parts of his mind comforted him, assured him that the King would never lie-that his mother was going to be okay. But the other part (which, by the way, was the majority) told him his sister was right, and Queen Garnet was lying peacefully on her deathbed. A small whine escaped Adam's throat as he heard a rasping cough from the other room. The boy loved his father dearly, but his sister had always been the one to comfort him, or read him stories. She was the only one who ever had time for him. So why would she lie to him now? Adam thumped his fist against the floor as a trickle of water ran down his face.  
  
Zidane threw open the heavy doors to a small room and stepped back in surprise. A man stood with his back to him, bent over something.  
  
"Who the hell are you? And where's Claudia?" The man turned, smiling. Claudia poked her head out from behind his broad shoulders and began to blush. Nervously, she stepped out, straightening her skirt and fixing her hair. She picked up her apron (which had excitedly been tossed over the corner of a large mirror on the side of the room) and hurried out.  
  
"So pleased to meet you, Zidane. I am Charim, your son's guardian." His light blue eyes flashed in an eerie, lifeless sort of way that made Zidane shudder. Charim turned to him. His appearance made him look nothing less than a street performer. His shirt was simple and not of good quality, tied at the waste with a crude leather belt that hung down to the knees of a bland pair of tan pants. A heavy white coat trailed slightly on the castle's floor, covering some of his floppy boots. Zidane looked at him awkwardly.  
  
"I didn't hire you. And no offense, but you don't look top quality." But Charim only smiled, and made it quite clear that the Queen had sent for him, only a month before.  
  
"Now, your majesty, I do hope you've realized the absence of your dear guest. It seems he went out for a little fresh air, don't you think?" Zidane, had in fact, not noticed this, and was now very worried.  
  
Adam tried to stop his shoulders from shaking as he stared at the massive shadow overlapping him. It had been there for a few minutes now, but Adam was too afraid to turn and see who it was. Besides, it didn't look like anyone he knew. He wiped his eyes with the blue pajama sleeve, and took a deep breath.  
  
"Y-yes? Who is it?" The figure gave a pleasant giggle, and turned to walk away. Adam could hear the sound of heels clicking against the stone, and, assuming it was a harmless maid, turned to teach her a lesson about sneaking up on people.  
  
"Now listen here, you--!" He stopped just as he finished turning around, and gasped. The figure was not a maid at all. It had long, tangled dull white hair and was wrapped primarily in blankets. It stopped walking, and looked back at him. Dark circles lingered around his eyes, and his cracked lips were drawn into a tight smile.  
  
"Well, what do you have to say?" Adam stared, mouth hanging open, shaking his head back and forth. "If you have nothing, then why did you stop me?" His smile disappeared, and was replaced by a more curious look.  
  
"I- I'm sorry. I thought you were a maid." Adam's brain began working again, and he remembered his manners. Bowing, he said, "I am Prince Adam of Alexandria. Do you seek a court with my father?" The cloaked man shook his head sadly, and continued walking.  
  
"I know who you are, boy, and I do not need to see my lovely king. Would he even speak to such a common man like myself.?" Adam stared after the man as he turned the corner, and was out of sight. The hallway suddenly seemed colder and more lonely than before. The prince's thick hair clung to his wet face, and he brushed it out of the way. A looming presence was making itself known to the boy, and he wrapped his arms around his chest as tight as he could, and looked up to the ceiling. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as a small voice whispered angrily into his ear.  
  
"Who's there?" He called out, and stood waiting fro an answer. The only one he got was his echo. Adam's breath quickedned as the voice became louder in his head. He could just barely make out the words, but it was getting louder. Two small hands clamped themselves over a pair of princely ears as the voice became louder and louder. Adam sank to the floor again in pain as the voice raged in his mind.  
  
LET NOT THE MAN WITH THE BLACKENED WINGS TAKE REST UPON YOUR SOUL. 


	4. There You Are

Chapter 4  
Ren looked up at the great castle of Lindblum. It was decorated in black, to honor the passing of the late Cid and his wife Hilde. The two of them were killed in a ship accident, it was said. He ran a hand through his mess of shortish black hair as strong wind blew around him, a rare thing inside Lindblum's walls, and he turned quickly on his heel. A young boy of about 10 stood there, holding a tall gnarled staff.  
  
"We've been looking for you, Ren. We have news."  
  
"News already?" Ren asked, only slightly surprised, "On the mages or Alexadria?"  
  
"Both, actually." The boy smiled and pointed his staff and a bar in front of him. "We'd better go inside, yes? I'm making a little mess out here, if you know what I mean." Ren nodded, and the two of them headed inside. Then it began to thunder.  
  
Adam's lip quivered nervously as he stared at another shadow in front of him. It was much bigger than before, and kept shuffling around.  
  
"Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to turn around and greet me?" Slowly, Adam got to his feet. The voice sounded different this time- it wasn't the same person, and he sounded less menacing. Not because his voice was softer, because it wasn't, but because he just seemed inferior. Like he had less splendor. Adam turned to face the man in the hallway.  
  
"Hm. No horn." He was tall, blonde, wore a big trench coat, looked like a murderer. If Adam had been seven years old, he would've screamed and tried to run away. And, seeing that he's seven years old, that's just what he did. He screamed, and turned to run away when he felt a sharp yank on the back of his head.  
  
"Shut up you worthless brat."  
AU: Okay, that is so short it makes me sick, but I stopped writing and there are shorter stories than this so there. XP 


	5. Voice and Noise

Chapter 5 AU: Hi again. Um, I haven't written in a long time, because I'm lazy, and I don't get enough time on the computer. Anyways, yeah, now I'm writing again, on my brand spanking new laptop which lacks internet access. I hope I remember to stick this on my regular computer. I mean, of course if you're reading this, then I did. anyway. Yeah, so I'm writing this, I've been working on this. comic game thing my brother wants me to make, I've been meaning to write in What Cid Thinks About Everything, nobody else reviewed Kuja, even though I wrote in that too, and I need to think of something else funny. Well actually, I did, but then I discovered Shizuka Valentine made one like, the exact same way and I reviewed it, so if I wrote it now, it would just seem like I copied her. So that idea's been scrapped. Ugh. Serious humor block. I think I'll just write random crap again. That's how my best stuff starts anyways.  
  
Adam woke to the sound of someone crying. His big green eyes blinked and scanned the room. Everything was blurry. He looked out across his bed, at the window with the dark wooden desk in front of it, and saw his father. His head was in his hands, and his tail slowly swung back and forth. He was the one making the noise. Adam opened his mouth to say something, but his throat felt dry, and it hurt. Instead he climbed out of his bed and walked up behind his father. Zidane lifted his head as he heard bare feet flopping against the hard wood floor.  
  
"Adam." He turned to face his tired son. His eyes were red, but he smiled anyway. Adam looked up at him, confused. "Adam, I'm so glad you're alright." Adam felt his fathers arms around him, his face pressed against his shoulder. Adam didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on. He could still feel himself being pulled backwards, the red line around his neck, and the force of a boot against his head. His head. He'd forgotten about it. Adam reached up and gingerly poked the large bruise on the side of his face. Zidane pulled back, his hands on Adam's arms.  
  
"Who did this to you? You don't have to say, just nod if I'm right. Okay?" Adam stared at him. He couldn't remember who it was. Why had it happened in the first place? He didn't know. He couldn't remember what he said. He couldn't remember what he looked like. "Was it one of the guards?" Zidane softly asked, eyes swelling up again. Adam didn't answer. He didn't know how to. He wanted to talk, but he couldn't. "Adam, was it. was it Kuja?" Kuja? Who's Kuja? A voice rang in the back of his head. It was the man with the blankets. He remembered his smile, and the clicking of heels as he disappeared down the hallway. Adam was afraid of him. "Was it a man with blonde hair? Was he tall? Were his eyes blue?" Adam tried to shake away from Zidane. He didn't know who he was talking about. He couldn't remember. All he could see was he man in the blankets. His father's image began to fade in front of him. The room began to swirl in a sickening way. Adam looked up at the ceiling, trying to drown out the picture of the man with the silver hair and the sunken eyes. He couldn't see. Everything was fading away. He couldn't.  
  
Zidane flung open the small white door that lead to the courtyard. Charim was sitting on the edge of a fountain, swirling his fingers around in the water. He looked up and smiled warmly as Zidane rapidly approached him.  
  
"Good afternoon your majesty. Is your day well?"  
  
"Where were you?" Zidane hissed at him. Charim blinked twice and raised two perfect golden brows at him. His face was filled with complete innocence and surprise.  
  
"What do you mean, sire?" His voice was pleasant and cheerful. Zidane hated it.  
  
"You know what I mean, you sack of shit." He grabbed the front of the bodyguard's shirt and pulled him closer to his face. "Where were you when my son was attacked?" His voice was bitter, angry. He suspected the man of everything.  
  
"Prince Adam was attacked? Is he alright? I hope nothing happened to him!" His cheerful innocence was replaced with a face of exaggerated sorrow. He looked to be mocking the king.  
  
"Don't gimme that. I want to know where you were."  
  
"If you remember, sir, you told me to go away, get out of the castle, whatever I needed to do to stay out of the way of the search for your dear brother." Zidane snarled at him and pushed him back into the fountain. He remembered mentioning something about that, but he couldn't help being suspicious of the man. Hired by Garnet or not, he would never trust Adam's new bodyguard if his life depended on it.  
  
Ren tapped the heel of his foot against the floor and took a sip of his drink. The storm outside hadn't let up yet; the boy must've been in an especially playful mood. He heard the familiar creak of the swinging doors and looked over his shoulder. He'd been doing that for about an hour now, and every time it was the wrong person. A fat balding man with grease stains on his shirt flopped down a couple stools away from him and ordered a drink. Just another mechanic getting off duty. Lindblum was full of them these days. People hardly did anything else. Even the theater district had mechanics living in it. The city had reached an ultimate technological high, even after the death of Cid Fabool. The Lady Eiko- the first ruler of Lindblum who wasn't named Cid- had boosted the manufacturing of airships and research on new engines since she took over. The city was very proud of her. At first most people thought she was too young, but minister Artania made sure she did things like the reagent did. She's become the favorite, cutest ruler of the four major kingdoms. She left the castle to visit the other kingdoms almost everyday, especially since Princess Garnet til Alexandros the 18th and Prince Adam were born in Alexandria. The bar doors swung open again. Ren didn't even bother to look back. Most of the workers got off around this time, and his guest had probably forgotten anyway. She had a tendency to do that. He was wrong, of course. It was who he'd been waiting for. She sat at the stool next to him and smoothed out her little blue dress against her knees.  
  
"You look nice today." "Thanks." She smiled her shiny pink lips and twirled a long slender finger in her bouncy silver hair. "There's been a little problem," Ren began, "It seems someone else has taken interest in the princess." 


	6. Nightmare

Chapter 6  
  
AU: Okay, yeah. I'm actually writing this like an hour after I wrote the last chapter, because like I said, I'm bored. I just decided to divide them into chapters because all my chapters are short and I wanted to keep a running theme. Also I don't want people to expect much if I put up a big chapter and then the next chapter would be short, so there you have it. Also, I don't remember what color Adam's eyes were, and me disk can't upload me previous chapters. damn I hope they're green. If they're not, then pretend I wrote brown, instead ^^  
  
Dagger stretched out on the cold stone dock just outside Alexandria castle and began to make up shapes in the clouds. A pretty little guard sat next to her, feet dangling over the side. The two of them were waiting for their escorts.  
  
"Who're you waiting for?" Dagger politely asked.  
  
"My boyfriend." She said simply. Dagger snorted and rolled over. Boys are something that never really interested her.  
  
"What's his name?" She didn't really care, but she didn't want to seem rude to the guard. She was very nice, and had seemed interested in everything she had to say.  
  
"Weimar. He's a Knight of Pluto." Dagger nodded, giggling to herself. The Knights of Pluto where the stupidest bunch of Knights she'd ever seen. Captain Steiner was the worst babysitter, even though he was the only one who cared about watching her and her brother. The other ones were all lazy, uncaring, no-talent slobs. But a lot of girls liked Weimar. He was the only one with some degree of charm in him.  
  
"Good evening, Miss Garnet." The guard and the princess looked up at the newcomer. The guard smiled softly and looked back down at her feet. Dagger jumped to her feet and dusted off the seat of her overalls.  
  
"Don't call me that, or I'll fire you." She muttered under her breath. Charim smiled and took her tiny hand in his. "Where we goin'?" She asked. He told her they were going to go shopping for some more overalls, even though she could just have them tailored. But Dagger, being a ten-year old, didn't think anything of it.  
  
"We're going to visit someone, before we go shopping. Is that okay?" He stepped down into the newly arrived boat, and helped her in. The pilot looked curiously over at the guard, but she waved him away. Her date hadn't arrived yet. The pilot shrugged and pushed away from the docks, heading back into Alexandria square.  
  
Adam sat up in bed for the only second time that week. He quickly looked over toward the window, but his father wasn't there. The sky was getting dark. Adam realized he didn't know what day it was. He looked around for a nurse, or a maid, or anyone, but nobody was there. He noticed a little silver bell sitting on an ornate nightstand next to his bed. He picked it up and rang it as hard as he could. He waited a few minutes, but nobody came. He rang it again, but still no one came. Annoyed, Adam hopped out of bed and poked his head through the doorway. The halls were completely empty. He stepped outside and wandered down the corridor. The floors were colder than ever. He wondered why they didn't have any carpet. Suddenly, the light above him went out. Adam looked up at it. There wasn't any breeze, or draft in the hallway. It was a perfectly warm summer's evening. Adam turned around to see who might have done it, but there was no one there. All the other candles behind him had been blown out too. Frightened, Adam started walking again. One by one, the candles behind him went out. There was still nobody there. Adam quickened his pace. The candles kept up with him. By the time he reached the corner of the hall he was running. He turned the corner and skidded to a halt. There, in the middle of the hall, lay a shabby-looking blanket. It looked like the one the silver-haired man was wearing. Adam hesitantly drew closer to it. His footsteps sounded louder than they ever had. His breathing and heartbeat seemed loud enough to wake the whole castle. The young prince swallowed any protests made by his brain to leave the blanket, and he picked it up. It was soft, despite its rough, tattered appearance. Suddenly, the buzzing started again. It pounded in his head as hard as it had left him before, and once again, he fell to his knees, face pressed into the blanket. It smelled like musk and lavender. The smell was so strong; it began to make him sick. Adam rolled on his side, still clutching his head. The sound of heels against granite filled his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to see the man again. He seemed so old and fragile, yet so wanting and deadly. Adam let out a tiny whimper of pain as the buzzing in his head grew louder. His tail flipped violently at his side. The clicking of heels stopped over him, and someone laughed. It was a bitter laugh, and left a hint of something that could only be described as grace. Adam had to open his eyes. Knowing the man was there and not seeing him was even worse than him being there at all. Adam opened his eyes, still clutching his head. But now he didn't need to be. The buzzing had stopped, the blanket was gone, and there was no one in the hall with him. The floor wasn't cold anymore, either. He sat up and nervously looked around. There was a door open next to him. Why hadn't he seen that before? The light was brighter than that in the hall, too. He couldn't have missed it. It wasn't open before, it couldn't have been. Curious, Adam got up and pushed the door open further. Across from him were an open window and a chair, with the pretty white birds he often saw around the castle resting on its edge. He looked down to the end of the room. A little round table decorated with fresh cut roses, a beautiful hand-carved dresser, and a white, lacy bed. He could see someone under the covers, the top of their head barely sticking out. Adam grabbed hold of his tail, which had been flicking back and forth annoyingly, and tip-toed to the side of the bed. The dark brown hair poking out from the top was dull and tangled, but he knew it had once been beautiful. He remembered it so well, falling over his shoulders while he was bathed, spread out against his covers as stories were read to him. Adam drew back the covers. He knew the hair well, he realized, because it was his mothers. Queen Garnet lay sleeping on one side. But she wasn't the beautiful lady he always saw her as. Her eyes were sunken in, like the silver-haired man, her lips were cracked, and her skin was a deathly shade of gray. His father was right- the queen was sick.  
  
"Your sister was right, you know." Adam whirled around to face the intruder. He knew he'd heard that dead raspy voice somewhere before. The silver-haired man smiled cruelly at him, the musk and lavender blanket covering his shoulders. He was surprised he hadn't heard the heels in the hallway. "This lovely canary will be dead soon." Adam backed up against the wall, mouth open. Why hadn't he heard the man? Maybe he was in the room the whole time. Adam tried to speak, or scream at the man for being the wrong. His mother wasn't dying. She was just sick. But his voice wouldn't work. It refused. The burning feeling on his skin came back, and he put a small chubby hand to his throat. "Oh, what. Can't speak, can you? Well I wonder how that happened. It's all your father's fault, for letting that filthy man inside your house." The man snorted, "Wait, what am I saying? He's no man. He belongs to my offensive sister, though I hate to admit it... All of them. filthy." His eyes stared blankly at Adam, mouth left slightly open in a disgusted frown. "But you see, there's nothing you can do." His eyes focused back on Adam's. He was smiling again. "You're not what they're looking for at all. But if you were, it would be too easy." Adam shook his head, confused. The man was rambling on about things he didn't understand. He wanted to tell him to stop. He didn't like it when the man came. He always told him bad things, and things he didn't get. But he couldn't, so he just shook his head. The man turned to a pretty little vanity sitting on a desk and frantically began opening drawers. Without even looking at them, he selected two different things- bright red lipstick and black eye liner. Adam watched in a frightened daze as he began to apply the make-up while he talked. "I remember a play. 'If all were so easy, why none would suffer in this world!' Hehe. And it's true. Too bad it hadn't been you. I would've looked forward to it." The man turned on his heel once again and stepped into the hallway, still holding the makeup and turning his head one last time to the cowering blonde-haired boy. "You look so much like the others. it's a shame."  
  
"I'm still not sure what it is, Zidane." Dr. Tot wiped his glasses with a little white rag and shook his head. "All I know is, it seems to be getting worse. At this rate, Queen Garnet will. be dead in a few more months." Heads around the room bowed in silent grief. Eventually, though, their eyes would all end up on the same person. Zidane didn't say anything. He just stared at the floor. If he tried to speak, he knew, he would just burst out in tears- crumbling before everyone's eyes. He couldn't let that happen. No matter what, he was still king of Alexandria. He could feel three pairs of eyes on him. They pitied him. This wasn't supposed to happen. The general and some stupid captain weren't supposed to pity the king. It just didn't make sense. He lifted his head and looked back at them, trying to think of something he could say that wouldn't make him look foolish. Anything, really. Anything that wouldn't make them pity him. He couldn't argue with the doctor, although he knew it wasn't true. Garnet couldn't die. It was impossible. The two of them weren't done with their lives yet. If hers ended, so did his. It was alright, though, he'd thought of something perfect to say. It would make him seem concerned, but still able to control everything. He would make sure no one would question his ability to rule. Zidane opened his mouth to deliver his new speech when a little blonde boy with watery eyes wandered into the room. Adam pushed his way through Beatrix and Steiner and stood in front of his father, tears streaming down his cheeks. They were frightened tears. The boy tried so hard to make it seem like he wasn't crying. He kept wiping his face and making little squeaking noises. Zidane held out his arms to his son, but he didn't come.  
  
"Daddy." Adam's voice cracked, and he began to sob. "Daddy. something's happened to Dagger." 


	7. Soulless City

Chapter 7  
  
Mikoto stared blankly over the dying city of Brahn Bal; thick brown roots reaching out from the ground and sucking the very life from the smiling humble shacks and the souls of those who lived inside them. There were very few black mages still left in the forest, the continent, and the world. The ones that weren't killed or joined Mikoto's side had fled with Vivi's youngest child to Treno. Mikoto smirked. Roan. Really Mr. 451. He wasn't Vivi's child at all. A few weeks after the battle for Gaia ended, a group of small confused black mages were brought to the village by a moogle from Madain Sari. He said they'd just shown up there from the Iifa Tree. Vivi, who was visiting his friends that day, had been so surprised to see others who looked more like him than the bigger mages. They said they'd been made just as the Mist shut down, so they were never completed. They were so helpless and insecure. He must have felt sorry for them; because they took his last name and he gave them their firsts, calling themselves his children. Mikoto remembered that day well. That day was a week before they all left for Alexandria, and brought back news of her brothers at the castle, and ruined everything. She explained to her brothers and sisters about Kuja, and about Zidane. She told them Zidane had saved Kuja for the purpose of killing the other Genomes. She explained how Zidane's power wouldn't work without Kuja, and about how hers wouldn't work unless they he was dead. She told them Zidane had realized his mistake- that he thought they were still mindless, and still stupid. At first her siblings were hesitant, but who else could they trust? Those two were given a choice, unlike everyone else. Weren't they good enough, they all wondered? Over the years, Mikoto had begun to envy Zidane, and even Kuja. Garland trusted them. He gave them power they could use at their will- the power to go on or give up, the power to regret, and the power to forget. But normal Genomes don't have much choice, even when they're free. They all remember the days on Terra, seeing new faces for the first time, and feeling an empty sadness as their world was destroyed. They weren't able to regret their bleak exsistance, or what they'd done to the people on Gaia. They just had to dwell on it until maybe one day they could forget. They were mistakes. Any mistakes, she convinced Genomes and mages alike, would be erased by the Powers if they didn't act. The struggle between the mages and Genomes lasted for days. An equally small percent had either joined her side or fled. The rest were killed. Mikoto remembered looking over the battlefield at a sea of faces with waves exactly the same. That's what Kuja must have hated the most, she couldn't help but thinking, we all look the same.  
  
Zidane flung the heavy wood-and-iron doors open to the guard's hall and stood in the doorway, eyes filled with a terrible rage. Every man and woman stopped chatting and eating almost instantly and scrambled up from the tables, getting in line and standing up straight. Rows upon rows of neat little servants and tired soldiers waited anxiously and a little annoyed for their king to hurry up and let the meal continue.  
  
"I'm looking for Charim." A pretty little soldier rolled her eyes as the tall blonde stepped out from behind a Knight of Pluto, looking completely shocked and confused as to why he would be called out by the king.  
  
"Yes, your majesty?" Zidane cringed as the cheap and sleazy voice echoed in the tall stone hall.  
  
"I need to speak with you."  
  
Adam stirred as his sister flopped down at the end of his bed, hair strategically placed over her unusually small horn. He was still in bed, after fainting in his room not long after everyone had gone to search for Princess Garnet. The last thing he remembered seeing was that silver- haired man smiling at him with his cracked and bloody red-painted lips. His smell had never been stronger then. He could still feel it stinging the inside of his nose like needles. It must have stuck there. No, that's not it. It's too strong. Adam's eyes snapped open as he looked frantically around the room for the broken ghost. Dagger waved a chubby hand in front of his face. It was her. He pulled the covers up over his chin. She smells like that too.  
  
"How come you smell funny?" He asked his sister, watching her every move with his glazed green eyes. Dagger gave a girly little laugh- the first one he'd ever heard her make, and looked down to see she was wearing a long blue dress with lace all along the top with cute little buckle shoes to match. He sat up, forgetting his suspicions and wondering more at why she was wearing something so lady-like.  
  
"You think it's funny? Charim bought it for me while we were in the market. He said it reminded him of someone. It was probably a beautiful lady, like me."  
  
"How come you're wearing a dress?" He continued, deciding to forget she'd just called herself a lady- the very thing she'd been protesting against for her entire life.  
  
"Oh, you noticed!" Her tanned and for once clean cheeks turned red, and her big brown eyes lit up, tail flicking from side to side. "I just wanted to look pretty today, for Charim." Adam wrinkled his nose and backed up further against the headboard- he couldn't stand the lavender smell.  
  
"Girls are so weird."  
  
"What in God's name made you think you could take her somewhere without my permission?" Zidane hissed at Charim, nearly grabbing his throat and throwing him to the ground. "She is not permitted to leave this castle without a proper escort, and you know that! I don't even know where you took her!" The bodyguard rolled his eyes and sighed. He was bored with this lecture all ready.  
  
"Well if you would take her places yourself, I wouldn't have to. Besides, I took her shopping and visited some friends of mine. It's really not a big deal." Zidane's eyes opened wide, a little vein in his forehead he didn't even know he had sticking out like a sore thumb. Charim giggled. He looked like Steiner. The two guards at the end of the hall outside the king's throne room shifted uncomfortably in their boots. Zidane was generally a good-natured person- it was rare to see him in such a bad mood. Two blondes stood face to face, one snarling, the other laughing. Two pairs of deep green eyes meeting each other for what might have been the first time, one suspicious and filled with blinding rage, the other smug and dancing with boyish laughter. Zidane's tail flicked from side to side as he thumbed the ornate dagger he still wore at his side.  
  
"If I had hired you."  
  
"But you didn't, so let's drop the whole thing."  
  
".I know what you are."  
  
"I won't deny it."  
  
"Why are you here?" Charim's laughter died off as he scoped his mind for a quick answer to his king's question.  
  
"Hm. Well you know, life in the village wasn't exciting enough." He shrugged it off- a commonplace thing for any normal person. But not for a Genome, and Zidane knew it. They were all linked together by brother and sisterhood, afraid to leave for the outside world for fear of finding out how cruel real people could be. A Genome was something different. A Genome traveled with groups.  
  
"Well you won't find anything exciting in Alexandria."  
  
It didn't bother him that his sister had disappeared. It didn't bother him when his father told him to stay away from his own bodyguard. It didn't even bother him when he was shoved out of the way now that the meetings had started. What bothered Adam the most was the smell of the castle. All around him he could smell the cold, death, and most of all, sadness. His father was the worst. Only a few places smelled any different nowadays, though. The library was one of them. It smelled like must and dried flowers- like people sitting quietly, lost in thought and ancient books. Adam had grown to like the library. It had the most wonderful things. His mother's room smelled different, too, but not in the same way. It smelled like stagnant air and roses. Even in the winter, when there were no roses. Adam never went in there, though. He didn't like to see his normally vibrant mother lying dead and breathing like that. His father did, though. He spent most of his time in her room, sitting at the side of the bed, stroking her amber brown hair. It used to be their room, until his mother got sick. Then dad sort of moved out. Adam wasn't sure where he slept, if he did at all. Everyone sees the dark circles under their decaying king's eyes. The night before, when Adam couldn't sleep, he crawled out of bed and out into the hall towards the kitchen for a glass of water and maybe something to eat. It was the most frightening thing for the tired boy. He hadn't seen it for months. The man with the blankets and the silver hair, coming straight for him, eyes fixed on the wall past his head. Adam almost ran, until he noticed his mistake. The man didn't have silver hair at all. It was blonde. He stared, mouth open, as Zidane seemingly floated down the hall past him, covered in blankets, and without a light. The castle wall was just as cold as when he saw the silver-haired man. A shiver ran up his spine. It wasn't right, he thought, that they should look so much alike.  
  
Charim thumped his head against the hard red wooden door outside Garnet's room. "Yes, your majesty." He whispered, the memory of princess Dagger combing her hair away from her horn, trying on dresses and shoes instead of overalls and boots still fresh in his mind from last month. "Yes. I. no your majesty." The horn was so wonderful when he first saw it. It was Terra days, minds roaming outside their bodies, protected and naïve. It was days in Brahn Bal, with Luca and Ziedis, waiting for the next lunch hour, or watching the twinkling stars provide comfort and friendship to the desert outside. It was what he'd always wanted. "No, he won't. Not as long as you're here." Charim thought of Adam, too, with the energy they could all feel overshadowing his sister's. Should he obey orders? ".I haven't heard." He came looking for a summoner, and he had found one- his ivory hope set with dreams and love in a crown of innocence; his ever after. But the Genome mind inside him had come for the glorious power in Prince Adam, the next Kuja, a supposedly summoning Genome. He had no horn, but Mikoto wanted him regardless. It was frustrating, like leaving Luca bleeding in broken brush and bones on the battlefield near Conde Peti, tears streaming down his cheeks like bursts of sun and ash and everything human eyes have ever strayed from, or keeping a straight face and pushing down the new emotion- the sense of triumph he could feel as he watched outsiders stray into their glossy mindless town for the first time. It was betraying his emotions that Charim found so frustrating. "I. I suppose so." He could hear the clicking of little girl's feet against the bitter marble floor, beating against his head and inside his ears. He could pick her up. Oh, he could pick her up right now and carry her away from the only home she had ever known to his sister, and she would be happy and he would be praised. He could take her tiny little hand and run to Treno- the sleepless city, the last safe house for people like him, like black mages and criminals and nobles alike. Dagger looked up at him, her pretty little smile fading into a worried frown as she watched him chew his lower lip- a nervous habit he'd recently picked up.  
  
"Who were you talking to?"  
  
"The queen."  
  
"She can't hear you. She can't hear anybody. I don't know why dad talks to her."  
  
"She can hear me." Dagger looked up at him confused. Hadn't she just said her mother couldn't hear anyone? It was true, too; Dr. Tot had told her so. Charim must have been lying, she thought, but why would he lie about something like that?  
  
"Don't do that."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Frown."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Gives you wrinkles."  
  
"It does not."  
  
"Yes it does."  
  
"Then how come you're doing it?"  
  
"I was thinking. And talking about serious stuff."  
  
"'Bout what?"  
  
"Nothing for little girls to think about."  
  
"I am not a little girl!" Dagger pouted, forgetting her lady-like attitude and stomping her foot on the floor, fuzzy brown tail wrapped around her leg. Charim smiled warmly and ran a giant's hand through her neatly combed hair, thumbing her horn as he did. The memories of warm days and lazy afternoons surged through his body, tingling the ends of his finger tips and raising the tiny hairs on the back of his neck. Royal brown eyes glared up into his, her face trying to keep from turning red. She looked so much like the queen: beautiful and mysteriously alone. She was an innocent. He couldn't take a flower like Dagger and plant it in the Soulless City, or she would wilt away into a fragile shell like her father.  
  
"I'm sorry princess Garnet." He gave a short bow and scooped her up over his shoulder just as she began to protest the name. ".but the castle is no longer safe." Charim tried to drown out the sounds of her frantic complaints and the beating of her tiny fists against his back as he ran. 


End file.
